Erin, maybe you need to take your own advice. “..Learn (sic) sensitivities about other countries and other cultures…”? The Irish named a drink after this group and you feign outrage toward Nike for using the same name? The descendants of Ireland here embrace “The Fighting Irish” mascot and use the derogatory phrase “getting their Irish up” referring to themselves. Do you really think they are going to get worked up over the name of a shoe? An Irishman would be angrier he did not copyright the name “Black and Tans” ….

Speaking as an Englishman moved to the US, I'd like to point out your blatant hypocrisy in not addressing the equally offensive "Irish Car Bomb" drink.

On this one, I have to say to Erin, get a life. You don't anything better to do these days except to complain about the name of a shoe? Why don't you get worked up over things that actually matter to people in the area, like taxes, unemployment, potholes or even gas prices. You re upset over the name of a pair of shoes? You need to get your priorities in order.

So, Roy, you have nothing better to do than complain about Erin's priorities? Pointing out disrespect seems to me to be important. The world would be a better place if there were more sensitivity and respect. And as for the Irish using "insulting terms" among themselves is ok but outsiders better not! That's how it works in my family.

Erin you need to get your facts straight. The shoe which you are referring too is the called Nike SB Dunk Low. Your ENTIRE ARGUMENT IS VOID. Black and Tan is just a nickname fans of the shoe called it. Maybe YOU SHOULD LEARN TO USE GOOGLE. #sneakerholics

What's next? Reebok calling it's "cool" new shoe the "KKK"? More people might get it.

Actually, Joseph, it looks like you're wrong, in describing the source of the ad copy. A perfect example of the blogosphere simply regurgitating incorrect information, and readers assuming it's true. Did you notice that the Gawker article failed to provide a link to the ad copy it quoted? Can you find a Nike-owned website that used that language? Exactly. It was not Nike ad copy - it was copy created by others. Take your own advice and do a little independent research next time.

Erin, you yourself said "Still, our society is getting stupider and stupider. This is another example. We cannot possibly memorize everything. We cannot truly learn by rote. We need to teach our children to go a layer deeper, to ask another question, to find out more." So how far back to we go to find out if phrases or words that we use now or wish to use now are or were offensive. You article sites things that happen in 1919. When does it stop. Do we search back into the 1800's, 1700's, biblical times. It is getting where eventually you might not be able to say Good Morning to anyone lest the find those words offensive in 2000 BC.

Nora also mentions another "fact" that I don't agree with. Never could figure out why a nationality or a race could use offensive language that pertains to them but don't let anyone outside of that specific group will be damned for life for saying those words. I can't say the N...word but someone who is black can...WHY? If it is derogatory, it is derogatory. Plain and simple. Let's get a life.

If I"m Black and Tan, I"m looking good, even though I may end up with skin cancer from the sun.

Joseph - please post the link to the Nike ads you are referring to. You can't. I wasn't being coy and referring to ad agencies. There may be ads that were created by others (e.g., retailers, not Nike's ad agencies) or posted by sneakerheads on their blogs. But nowhere on any Nike site will you find that language. Nike did apologize ("smarmy" - nice one, Joe!), but specifically indicated that the shoes had been unofficially named the Black and Tans by others. If you know anything about the sneaker culture, this is a common occurrence.

Joseph - quoting from your profile: "At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism." I assume those principles would include quoting primary sources using confirmed links, and not self-described "gossip" sites with no attribution. Just sayin'.

Joseph: Obfuscation. Stop avoiding the question. Either post a link to ad copy proving that it was created by Nike, or admit that you made a mistake with your original post.

Joseph you are plain wrong and losing just stop. Nike has no tie with the name black and tan at all. They issued a apology because what else could they do. Nike did not create that ad. That was from a blog.

Nike officially named the shoes Nike SB Dunk Low and the name Black & Tan was given to the shoes unofficially by some. They said the shoes design IS suppose to resemble the way a Black & Tan beverage but they meant no disrespect. So Nike apologized not for the name, because they did not name them Black & Tan, but for the design inspiration that lead to the unofficial name (nickname) that they ended up receiving.

I am Irish and I am not the least bit offended by the nickname. People are too damn sensitive and everyone is offended by every little thing lately! Why is it that they were offended by the nickname of the shoe but not the beverage being named that? Why are they not offended by an Irish Car Bomb or a Belfast Bomb?

Joseph: Now you're just embarrassing yourself. You and your fellow PC clones are on the wrong side of this argument. As Amber states above, no offense was intended - get over it.

With respect to your question as to why Nike would apologize, why wouldn't they? As Amber correctly points out, they simply acknowledged that others had created a nickname that might be offensive to some, and they apologized for any harm that was created. Their apology was not an admission that they had done something wrong. Is the difference really that difficult for you to understand?

You obviously have an axe to grind with Nike, and it's getting in the way of your ability to evaluate this issue objectively.

Moving on now. Nothing more to see here.

This article has created quite the storm! To be properly PC, I am offended that an Irish Car Bomb is being called an Irish Car Bomb. Use political correctness people, I learned in Shannon, Ireland it is properly referred to as an Ulster Catholic Freedom Maker.

I am of Irish descent and you know the best part of it - my family left that island generations upon generations ago! The RUC, the IRA, the Crown, the UDF, the R-IRA, and all those other groups operate just like street gangs on the streets of Chicago. Butcher each other to gain power until being butchered themselves. The funniest part is that they all secretly work with each other and do deals with one another to get money and power. Almost 40 years of bloodshed was for nothing, the rule of N. Ireland has stayed the same. The IRA finally realized it and decided the ballot was better than the bomb.

So as a Euro-mix-Irish-American I can tell you...I don't care if the name of a shoe offends the Irish people. They've done a damn good enough job offending themselves.

I'm with Bob Jonas and his comments earlier in this blog. This is a waste of time. How far back do you search and have to watch what you say just not to offend anyone. Let's get over the PC stuff.

Nice catch Tim. So Erin, are you going to change the name of this media vehicle since it insults slow witted people. See Tim's post. You and your fellow editors will need to apologize like Nike did.

I bet you heard sticchio a few times while you were in Italy.

Erin, now you see how ridiculous this becomes. Language is ever changing along with it's meaning. How far back does one go. If you believe what you have written in your article, than you will apologize for using the word Patch, and change the name to something that does not offend anyone. Do your research. If you don't believe what you wrote, then say so and let's move on.

Erin, you're wrong. The word "patch" is very derogative and stupid people find it offensive. So I think you owe Tim and jaskie apologies. We don't want them to feel any worse about themselves than they do already. Tim, jaskie, we are very sorry, both for your stupidity and for having offended you.

Guys, you are never going to convince Erin she is wrong until she is ready to understand that she lives in the year 2012 and not 1919. Her mind is so closed that all she sees is her way and no one is ever going to convince her she is wrong.

One day she will learn that the earth really is round and that it revolves around the sun and then everything she has believed in will come crashing down on her. We don't want to be anywhere near her when that happens.

One of the problems with agreeing with Erin on issues is that she seems to be somewhat loose with her facts.

It varies from complete fabrications (her statement that, without the testimony of Sandra Fluke the congressional committee had no testimony from women) to those easy to verify with Google ( the Black and Tans didn't arrive in Ireland until March 1920 (not 1919 as she mentioned).

Some things are easy for her to FABRICATE because ... or course ... it must have happened. Erin just said the Black and Tans "widely raped and pillaged any and all Irish men, women and children who crossed their paths". In over 600 pages of academic writing on the war the word rape (or any similar word) was never used. It was suggested in one doctoral thesis that the limit of sexual assault was likely that both men and women were sometimes paraded through town naked. That the lack of documentation indicated that other sexual assaults were few.

"any and all" ... hardly. The IRA and the Black and Tans regularly exchanges reprisals .. and reprisals to the reprisals ... but most attacks by either side were targeted (even if for the flimsiest of reasons).

Cleanup the factual problems and Erin could become more believable.

Erin and Joseph, I truly expected more from someone with the title Editor next to their name. What a disappointment it was to see how unprofessional both of you have become. Instead do sticking to the facts that are verifiable and showing your sources like professional journalist are trained to do, you lower yourself to name calling and throwing logic out the window. I'm sure your bosses are disappointed in you as well. If I was your boss you would be demoted or fired. Good journalist become respected journalist by standing the heat and are able to deflect criticism with the facts. Both of you have failed miserably at this. As Tim stated, you should be deleting your own derogatory, name calling comments and provide a sincere apology. Keep this up and your future in journalism will be short lived.

I'm from Dublin, my English teacher told us the story at the beginning of class and we all had a good laugh about it, it's not particularly insulting but I think Erin's point was that people should do there research before naming something (however unofficially) because there's always somebody who's going to take it the wrong way especially with an issue like this.
The whole thing probably wouldnt even have been noticed if it hadnt been so close to Paddy's day.

The 1% are smiling today; all this brain power available, all this energy ready to be unleashed, and all we can do is fight about who should be responsible for the name of a shoe? No wonder why the 99% are losing ground to the 1%. As a professor I know once opined, "the smaller the real estate being fought over, the more epic the battles."

I guess I misunderstood the Patch logo next to Erin's name. I thought that she was connected to the Patch in some form as a journalist. Her resume on Patch indicates that she has been a journalist for 20 (or so) years. I inferred that her journalistic integrity was being contributed to Patch.

If those statements are incorrect then, indeed, her indiscretions and distortions in what would normally be the factual part of her opinion argument are understandable and I'll just consider her opinions with that in mind.

Amundsen- I must disagree with you on a number of counts. First, Erin's article goes back into history referring to various times, places and wars. She says things happen when other say they did not, i.e rape.... Also, just because the article is found under "government, opinion, business" doesn't automatically make it an editorial piece. If this is truly an opinion, it should be clearly labeled as such by the staff of the Patch. Hosey is an editor of the Patch and he is treating it like a factual story.

The point certain people are trying to make here is that as a journalist you should always report what you can verify and make sure you specify clearly that if you cannot verify something that you feel is key to the story, state that it is unverifiable at the time of the writing.

I'm also offended on your attitude towards volunteers. As a volunteer, you accept certain terms and conditions that the agency your volunteer for puts forth. If you do not wish to live by those terms and conditions you shouldn't be volunteering for that organization. Volunteer or paid staff, you are the image of the Patch or whatever organization you are working for.

If I'm a volunteer, writing for the Patch and I say the Holocaust never happen or Trayvon Martin, the teen that was shot in self defense by the George Zimmerman, was his own worst enemy, does that make it right. Why? Cause I'm a volunteer and it's my opinion. If Erin would have labeled this clearly as MY OPINION, then this would have died quickly. She wrote it as an article, from a journalist, with poor research and then proceeds to bad mouth supporters of the patch, simply because they are the audience, and thinks that's ok.

By the way, Tim, since you're in charge of telling us what things are more relevant than others, maybe you can help us out. Arnold Palmer, man or drink — what's the answer?

Erin is no journalist. She is a sham. Plain and simple.

point is nike didnt name the shoe black and tan and had no tie with the retail ad.

I am amazed about the amount of trash I have just read here. The black & tans did exist, put together by the Brits and generally recognized as a bunch of murdering bastards who had the complete back up of the Establashment to murder, rape and subject the Irish people to torture and shame. Yes Nike should apologize for their employee or sub-contracters actions. Do you wooden planks learn anything about World history while in school? I am 100 per cent Irish, have fought the Brits and don't give a flying f--k what you or the likes of you call me or mine, just don't try to justify the derogatory name that some lazy college educated Pratt has used to sell a product That after all has been manufactured in sweat shops so that you lazy pigs can pay big money for. You remind me of the wizard of oz and dick chaney all bs and no heart,